Vehicle electrical systems require electrical paths common to the electrical components in the vehicle to provide a ground path for those components. Providing an effective ground path is particularly important in protecting the low energy electronic components which are finding increasing use in vehicles. A typical mechanism for grounding an electronic module is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,752 at FIG. 2 which shows a cable which is electrically connected to an electronic module at a first end and to ground, via a battery terminal at a second end. While such a mechanism provides an effective ground, the grounding cable introduces both cost and manufacturing complexity to the vehicle. In addition, the cable provides an added point of failure, particularly in the connections at the ends of the cable.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism which provides a reliable ground path electrical components within a vehicle in cost-effective manner.
It is a further object of the invention to simplify manufacturing of a vehicle by providing an electronic module which reduces the number of steps required in mounting the module to the vehicle.